Battery operated pencil sharpener



Oct. 17, 1961 A. H. KENT BATTERY OPERATED PENCIL SHARPENER Filed Aug. ll, 1959 Lex/W9@ United States Patent O 3,004,522 BATTERY OPERATED PENCIL SHARPENER Allen H. Kent, New York, N.Y., assigner to Minitone, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 833,065 3 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-96) The instant invention generally relates to sharpening devices for pencils of the wood encased type. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel construction for a pencil sharpening device which is battery operated,

While the prior art discloses many power operated pencil Sharpeners the power for driving the Sharpener was usually obtained from a source other than batteries; This restriction on devices of the prior art was necessitated by the fact that the prior art constructions required exceptionally great amounts of power and were bulky even in the absence of a battery power pack.

While the prior art discloses battery operated means for sharpening drawing leads utilized with a mechanical type holder, the teachings embodied in the constructions have proven Vto be less than satisfactory. That is, the cutter was driven `at high speed directly from the motor outputshaft. Since commercial grades of writing leads contain la substantial portion of abrasive clay the cutter soon dulled and the Sharpener ceased to function.

Briey, the device of the instant invention comprises a battery operated motor which rotates a receptacle for receiving the pencil shavings. The driving connection between the motor and receptacle is made by means of a speed reducing gear train. Thus, ya high speed low torque motor is utilized so as to produce a high torque output.

A Sharpener head assembly is removably secured to one end of the receptacle soas to form a closure for this end. The rotation of the receptacle drives the Sharpener head assembly and in this manner the blade of the Sharpener head assembly performs the sharpening operation when a pencil is inserted into the head and maintained against rotation. The shavings are removed from the receptacle by merely removing the shaver head assembly and thereafter inverting the remainder of the device.

With the construction outlined above the receptacle is mechanically secured to the low speed output drive member of the gear train. There is no necessity to provide shaft seals as in the prior art between the shaving receptacle and the means for supplying rotational power to the Sharpener head. 6

Infprior" art devices the seals were required so that the shavings would not jam or otherwise contaminate the driving mechanisms. The shaft seals were a constant source f trouble since the high speed operation of the device resulted in rapid wear. Wear was not apparent until such time as the shavings had damaged the driving mechanism at which stage repairs were excessively ex-` constructionjwherein the Sharpener head is threadably` secured to the shaving receptacle so as to be readily removabletherefrom and when so removed conveniently enables thereceptacle to be emptied. 6

A still further object is to provide a novel construction for a power operated pencil Sharpener wherein there is no axial .thrust on the motor shaft.

These as well as other objects of the instant invention shall become readily apparent after reading the following description of the acompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the sharpening device constructed in accordance with the instant invention with the case sectionalizedrso as to expose the mechanism.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section, with the dry cells and the top portion of the casing removed, ltaken through-line 2-2 of FIGURE l looking in the direction of the-arrows p 10 generally comprises Sharpener head assembly 11 removably secured to cylindrical receptacle 12. Assembly 11 and receptacle 12 are rotatable as a unit by a driving means comprising D.C. motor 13 powered by dry cells 14-16 and operatively connected through rotating gear train 17 to shaft 18 which is rigidly secured to receptacle 12 and defines an axis of rotation for receptacle 12. Motor 13 is of the type illustrated in our U.S. P-atent 2,894,156.

Sharpening device 10 includes a hollow casing molded in two sections with upper section 19 interlocking with lower section 20 and being cemented thereto. The bottom 21 of lower housing section 20 is flush with insulating base plate 22. Screw 98, passed through a clearance opening in upper housing section 19, is in threaded engagement with a tapped aperture of upper plate 24 thereby securing casing 19, 20 in place. Insulating intermediate plate 23 as well as insulating upper plate 24 are secured to base plate 22 by means of studs 25. An additional stud 26 secures intermediate plate 23 to base plate 22. Cushions 99 are cemented to the heads of studs 25, 26 to serve as a three point support for sharpening device 10.

The spacing between base plate 22 and intermediate plate 23 is established by sleeves 27 through which studs 25 and 26 are passed. Nuts 28, threaded to studs 25 and 26, maintain intermediate plate 23 in position. The spacing between upper plate 24 and base plate 22 is maintained by nuts 29 and 30 threaded to studs 25 above and below upper plate 24.

Conducting straps 31, 32 extend between base plate 22 and upper plate 24, being riveted thereto, and are provided with offset contact portions whereby dry cells 14-16 are connected in series aiding relationship when all of -the positive terminals thereof are oriented in the same plane.

The negative terminal of dry cell I14 is in operative engagement with spring terminal 33 which is riveted to the bottom side of upper plate 24. Wire 34 extends from terminal 33 to one terminal 35 of D.C.' motor 13. The positive terminal of dry cell 16 is in engagement` with spring terminal 36 which is riveted to base plate 22. Wire 37 extends between terminal v36 andcontact meinber 38 which is riveted at 39 to intermediate plate 23. The other end of terminal member 38 is provided with a central slot 40 into which shaft 18 is entered. The other. terminal 41 of D.C. motor 13 is connected through wire 42 to one end of contact member 43 which is riveted at 44 to intermediate plate 23.

Members 38 and 43 are both constructed of electrical conducting spring material with the ends opposite the connections to wires 37 and 42 being raised above the -topsurface of intermediate plate 23. These ends of contact members 38 and 43 form normally open cooperating contacts 45, 46, respectively, with contact 46 being essentially stationary and contact 45 being movable into engagementV therewith, aszwill be hereinafter explained.

Motor '13 is secured to. intermediate. member 23.- by stud means: 4T and' speed nuts. 48. with the output shaft 49' extending through intermediate; plate opening 50; 'The input Spur gear SI1 of gear train 1-7 is keyed toi motor output shaft 491 with the position of' gea-r 51 relative'. to: intermediate plate 23V beingy estaiblislfred'byl spacing disk 52 which i'sk interposed between-fthe lower end. ofv motor 12I and the topl surfaceof intermediate plate 23S. Gear. train 17-further includes two vertical idler stub. 'shafts 53, 54 each having a large and aX Small diameter gear keyed thereto. Stub AShafts 53, 54 are journa-led for rotation at the opposite-.ends thereofin bearings mounted to the base 22 and intermediate 23 pia/testA The large gear 55 keyed' to shaft 53 is driven by in put spur gear 5.1. This in turn causes gear 56, keyed to shaft 33, to drive large gear 57 which is keyed to. Shaft 18 near the lower end thereof.

The lower end of shaft 18 is guided for rotation as well as axial movement by bearing 610 inserted in base plate 22. Shaft 18. thenextends upward through bearing 61 of intermediate plate 23 with the top end of Shaft 1S being entered intocentral opening 62 of lower closure member 63 for receptacle 12, Set screw 64 iixedly secures the upper end of' Shaft 18 to closure member 63, Receptacle 12 is an elongated cylindrical body with lower closure member 63 bei-ng Secured thereto by screws 65, 66'.

The upper end of receptacle 112 is provided with external threads which cooperate with internal threads of upper closure member 67 forming partof Sharpener head assembly 11 to Secure assembly 1-1 toreceptacle 121. The upper end of receptacle 12 extends through clearance aperture 97 in the top of casing 19, 20 to projectV above the top- `of upper housing section l1-9.

Screws 68, 69 pass through clearance openings 70, 71, respectively, in the top of upper closure member 67 and are entered into tapped openings 72, 73, respectively, of Sharpenerv block 74. Sharpener block 74 is` provided with a tapered guide aperture '75', the larger end of which is in alignment with upper closure member apertures 76. One side of the lwall defining tapered opening 75 is longitudinally slotted at 94- so as to receive the cutting edge 77 of blade 78 which is secured by means of screw 79 to body 74.

Penci-l sharpening device is. operated by inserting a wood encased type pencil 96 into guide aperture 75- and moving pencil 96 downward in the direction of arrow A (FIGURE 2) until cooperating contacts 45, 46 are in engagement. This closes the energizing circuit for motor 13 through Idry cells 14-16. Motor 13 drives speed reducing gear trainl \17 causing rotation of shaft 18`.

Shaft 18 is rigidly secured to receptacle 12 so that receptacle 12 is caused to. rotate. This in turn causes rotation of Sharpener head assembly 11 and in so doing cutting edge 77 produces a sharp point on pencil 96 as pencil 96 is maintained against rotation. During the sharpening operation the shavings passthrough slot 94 and are received by receptacle 12.

When the required point has been formed on pencil 96 it is removed fromblock guide aperture 75. Since contact member 38 is constructed of spring material and the bowed portion thereof bears against the bottom of closure extension 95 the self biasing action of movable contact 45 causes contacts 45, 46 to open and at the same time raises receptacle 12 tothe position of FIGURE 1. The shavings are readily removed from receptacle 12 by merely removing- Sharpener head assembly 1-1 and thereafter inverting sharpening' device 10.

It is to be noted that the, threads securing` Sharpener head assemblyV 11 toV receptacle 12 are constructed in aiding relationship to the rotation of receptacle 12.. That is,

right hand threads secure assembly 11 to receptacle 12 and motor 13 operates so as to cause shaft l1S to rotate counter-clockwise with respect to FIGURE 3. Thus, the connection between receptacle 12 and assembly 11 is tightened during Sharpening..

IIt is also to be noted that construction hereinbefore described does not require Shaft, seals between at the output shaft of motor 1.3. nor at the` shaft of motor 13. nor the shaft which drives cutter' 78. Even in the absence of shaft seals the sbav-ings are effectively confined within receptacle -12 where they cannot contaminate the driving means.

.Although I have here described preferred embodiment of my novel invention, many variations. and modiiications will now be: apparent to. those skill-edy in the art, and I therefore prefer to be limited, not bythe Specific disclosure herein, but only by the appending claimsl I claim:

l. A Sharpener devicev comprising a supporting structure including a base plate and a irst plate parallel to. saidv base plate and positioned thereabove, a. chip receiving and retaining receptacle positioned above Said first plate, a shaft extending through said rst plate and dey iining an axis of rotation for said receptacle, said shaft being lixedlyf Secured to. said receptacley at afiirst closed end thereof, a cover removably mounted to a second open endof said receptacle, a Sharpener means xedly mounted to said cover and disposed within said receptacle, a driving means comprising the series connection of a battery means, a normally open switch, and a D.C. motor, speedY reducing gear means disposed between said plates and connecting saidl shaft to said motor for rotation of Said receptacle by said motor whensaid switch means is closed, a case removably secured to said supporting structure, said receptacle bein-g disposed substantially wholly within Said case with said cover extending ex ternallyl of said case through an opening thereof, said shaft and said driving means being disposed within Said 1 case, biasing means Within said case urging Said shaft along its axis to a iirst position wherein said switchA isv open, said receptacle being movable along said axis to a second position by the application of force upon a pencil inserted into a guide aperture of said Sharpener means, said receptable when in said second position operatively engaging said switch for closing thereof thereby energizing said Imotor from said battery means, thread means carried by said receptacle cooperating with threadv means carried by said cover for securement of said cover to said receptacle, said thread means constructed so that rotation of said cover relative to said receptacle, in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said receptacle by said gear means, is effective to tighten the connection between said cover and said receptacle.

2. The Sharpener device Set forth in claim 1 in which the motor and the switch are mounted to the first plate on the top side thereof, Said biasing means comprising a contact of said switch, a single screw Securing Said case to said supporting Structure.

3. A Sharpener device comprising a supporting struc ture including a rst member and a second member each having a generally plate-like portion; means maintaining said plate-like portions in spaced substantially parallel relationship with one of said portions above the other of said portions; a chip receiving receptacle positioned above said Ione portion; a shaft extending through said one portion and defining an axis of rotation for said receptacle; means xedly securing said shaft to a iirst closed end of said receptacle; a cover removably mounted to a second open end of said receptacle; a Sharpener means aixed to Said cover for rotation in unison therewith; said Sharpener means disposed within ,said receptacle; a driving means comprising the series combination of a battery means, a D C. motor, and normally open switch means which when closed completes a circuit between saidbattery means and. said` motor; speed' re- 5 ducing gear means supported by said plate-like portions and disposed therebetween; said motor mounted to said one portion on the upper side thereof; said motor having an output shaft extending through an aperture of said one portion and operatively engaged to said gear means; said gear means connecting said shaft to said motor output shaft for rotation of said receptacle by said motor when said switch means is closed; an enclosure; means removably securing said enclosure and said supporting structure to each other; said receptacle being disposed substantially wholly within said enclosure with the second open end extending through an opening in said enclosure and said cover positioned externally of said enclosure; said shaft and said driving means disposed within said enclosure; biasing means within said enclosure urging said contact means open and also urging said receptacle in a first direction to a first position; said receptacle and said shaft being bodily movable as a unit in a second direction opposite to said first direction to a second position wherein said switch means is closed; 2

movement of said receptacle to said second position be- Cil 6 ing brought about by the application of force, directed toward said first plate-like portion, upon a pencil inserted into a guide aperture of said Sharpener means; securing formations carried by said cover in engagement with complementary securing formations of said receptacle; said cover formations and said receptacle formations cooperating in a manner such that said cover when secured to said receptacle rotates in unison therewith as the latter is rotated about its said axis by operation of said motor.

References {Jited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,465,293 Alber Aug. 21, 1923 1,627,705 Johnson May 10, 1927 2,767,686 Goumaz Oct. 23, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 359,555 Great Britain Oct. 26, 1931 753,531 Great Britain July 25, 1956 557,520 Italy Feb. 18, 1957 

